The Twins have placed outfielder Eddie Rosario on outright waivers, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. The club previously tried to find a taker for Rosario in a trade, but was not able to do so, according to Rosenthal.
Rosario has until Wednesday to join another team on waivers. If not, the Twins can non-tender Rosario or try to re-sign him for less than the $8.6M to $12.9M he’s projected to receive in arbitration this winter. Rosario is slated to go through arbitration for the final time in the coming months.
The 29-year-old Rosario has spent his entire career with the Twins, who chose him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He has typically been a productive hitter since he debuted in 2015, evidenced by his .277/.310/.478 line across 2,830 plate appearances. Rosario has hit at least 24 home runs on three occasions, including a career-best 32 in 2019, but his somewhat above-average offensive production may not be enough to keep him in a Twins uniform. The club has touted outfield prospects Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach nearing MLB readiness, making it no surprise that it seems willing to cut the cord on Rosario.
Assuming he hits free agency next, Rosario should draw a decent amount of interest on the open market. He’d be one of the most appealing corner-capable outfielders available behind the likes of George Springer, Marcell Ozuna and Michael Brantley. Teams that need help in the outfield but aren’t willing to spend on any of those three could pivot to Rosario.
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